Kyle of Lochalsh line
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The Kyle of Lochalsh Line is a primarily single track railwey line in the Scots Hielands, frae Dingwal til Kyle o Lochalsh. Aw services are providit bi Abellio ScotRail an rin ayont Dingwal til Innerness. Maist services run tae or frae Innerness; ae daily train continues ayont Innerness til Elgin (in the 2016 timetable). In the past thare war some throu services tae/frae Glesga, Edinburgh or Aiberdeen.[1] Nane o the line is electrified, an aw trains on the line are diesel-powered, as are aw ither trains in the Scots Hielands.
| Kyle of Lochalsh Line | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Owerview | |
| Seestem | National Rail |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | Highland Scotland |
| Termini | Dingwall Kyle of Lochalsh |
| Stations | 13 |
| Operation | |
| Awner | Network Rail |
| Operator(s) | Abellio ScotRail |
| Rowin stock | Class 158 |
| Technical | |
| Line lenth | Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh: 63 mile 64 chain (102.7 km) |
| Track gauge | Standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
History
eeditConstruction
eeditThe route wis biggit in three sections:
- Inverness and Ross-shire Railway atween Inverness and Dingwall, openin on 1 October 1864.
- Dingwall and Skye Railway atween Dingwall and Stromeferry, openin on 19 August 1870.
- Kyle of Lochalsh Extension (Highland Railway) atween Stromeferry and Kyle of Lochalsh, openin on 2 November 1897.
Strathpeffer Branch
eeditThe Strathpeffer Branch operatit fae 1885 til 1951.[2]
Named trains
eeditIn 1933, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway introduced twa named trains on the line, The Hebridean an The Lewisman.
Lochluichart station
eeditIn 1949 it wis planned tae relocate Lochluichart station tae allou the fluidin o the airt bi the Glascarnoch-Luichart-Torr Achilty hydroelectric scheme. On 3 Mey 1954 a new station wis appent as Lochluichart. The deviation required aboot 2 mile (3.2 km) on stane-pitched embankments an in rock cuttings, a 100 feet (30 m) brig ower the River Conon an a 36 feet (11 m) brig.
Closure proposals
eeditIn the 1960s the line wis listit tae be closed unner the Reshaping of British Railways report; houiver it wis reprieved and services continued.
In 1970, British Rail wantit tae close the line whan Ross and Cromarty council voted tae mak a new £460,000 (equivalent to £6,400,000 in 2018)[3] ferry terminal at Ullapool (43 mile frae Stornoway) replacin that at Kyle of Lochalsh (71 mile frae Stornoway). In December 1971 it wis reportit that the costs of operatin the line war £318,000 per annum (equivalent to £4,050,000 in 2018),[3] wi revenue of £51,000 per annum (equivalent to £650,000 in 2018),[3] an the Secretary of State for Transport agreed that the line sud close, but a local campaign wis successfu in reversin this decision an keepin it open.
Natural disasters
eeditIn Julie 1939 a landslide atween Attadale and Stomeferry derailed an ingine an sax freight vans. The landslide wis caused bi hivy rains.
In 1989 the brig ower the River Ness at Innerness wis washed awa, leain baith the Kyle line an the Far North Line stranded, but new "Sprinter" trains war brocht ower bi road, an a temporary yaird wis biggit tae service them at Muir o Ord. The section of line alang Loch Carron is parteecularly troublesome and prone tae landslides, eften closin that section.
References
eedit- ↑ GB National Rail Timetable 2013-14, Tables 239 & 240 (Network Rail)
- ↑ H A Vallance, C R Clinker, Anthony J Lambert, The Highland Railway, David and Charles, Newton Abbot, 1985, ISBN 0 946537 24 0
- ↑ a b c UK Consumer Price Index inflation feegurs are based on data frae Gregory Clark (2016), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", MeasuringWorth.com.